Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Jim Peters is the Chief Operating Officer at Rite Aid, which is number 150 on the Fortune 500, with $21.7 billion in revenue in 2019. For the three years prior to joining Rite Aid, Jim ran his own boutique consulting firm serving healthcare and life sciences companies. In this episode, Jim discusses the steps Rite Aid has taken during the coronavirus epidemic to keep its employees and customers safe.  Jim also covers the innovation initiatives Rite Aid has underway, including steps to help pharmacists operate at the top of their license. For more on Rite Aid, download this 2020 Investor Day presentation: https://www.riteaid.com/content/dam/riteaid-web/corporate/investor-relations/analyst-day/20200316_Rite_Aid_Analyst_Day_Presentation.pdf

Umbrex member and McKinsey alum Tim DeRoche is an independent management consultant, a screenwriter, an award-winning novelist and a non-fiction writer. In Episode 66 of Unleashed, Tim discussed his novel Huck and Miguel, a re-imaging of the story of Huck Finn, set in modern-day Los Angeles. In today's episode, Tim discusses his latest (non-fiction) book, A Fine Line: How most American kids are kept out of the best public schools. Learn more about Tim: https://timderoche.com/a-fine-line/  

Michael Niczyporuk, currently SVP of Global Product Strategy at Visa, has been the Chief Strategy Officer at USAA, the Global Head of Strategy at Citi FinTech and Digital Payments, and the Head of Strategy for Digital at Capital One. In this episode, Michael draws on his broad experience across digital financial services to discuss innovation in the payments industry.

Alan Iny is the Global Lead for Creativity and Scenarios at Boston Consulting Group, and the co-author of Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity. In this episode, Alan shares practical tips to unleash creativity in your business. Follow Alan on Twitter: @Alan_Iny Alan's bio at BCG: https://www.bcg.com/en-us/about/people/experts/alan-iny.aspx Check out Alan's book: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-New-Boxes-Paradigm-Creativity/dp/0812992954/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TUCBZAF10VEY&dchild=1&keywords=thinking+in+new+boxes&qid=1592407024&sprefix=thinking+in+new+boxes%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1

Jamie Head is the Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Ocean Spray Cranberries, which is an agricultural cooperative with over 700 member growers. The cooperative accounts for over 70% of North American cranberry production. In this episode, Jamie discusses innovations that are underway at this leading global producer. To learn more about Ocean Spray (and find plenty of recipes), visit: https://www.oceanspray.com/

McKinsey alum Eli Diament is the Founder and Director of Azurite Consulting, which specializes in conducting B2B surveys that require high volumes of niche B2B buyers, decision makers, and product users. In this episode, Eli discusses the principles behind constructing a B2B survey that will yield useful insights, and some of the issues to be mindful of when engaging a survey firm. Learn more about Azurite Consulting at: https://www.azuriteconsulting.com/

Matt McDonald, a Partner at Hamilton Place Strategies, was recently named one of 38 "Power Players in Consulting" by Business Insider. In this episode, Matt explains how public affairs consulting firms operate. Learn more about Hamilton Place Strategies at: https://www.hamiltonplacestrategies.com/about/

Dan Goldman is the Global Head of Strategy at The North Face. In this episode, he provides his perspective on leading a strategy team during the pandemic. https://www.thenorthface.com/

Ken Cloke is a leading global expert on conflict resolution and the author of over a dozen books. In this episode, Ken shares the principles of conflict resolution, and how he became a pioneer in the field. Learn more about Ken on his website:  https://www.kencloke.com/about

Brian Ahearn has been certified by Robert Cialdini to teach his influence methodology. Through keynote speeches, coaching, and training sessions, Brian helps professionals understand the full set of influence tools. If you have a premium LinkedIn account, check out his LinkedIn Learning courses: Persuasive Selling, Persuasive Coaching and Persuading Different Personality Styles Learn more about Brian's work at his firm's website: https://www.influencepeople.biz/